Song Analysis Archive
I love when songwriters throw in a chord that doesn’t technically fit the key. These chords add color, personality, and can alter the vibe of the song. Previously covered examples of this include the Flat 7 chord in a major key often used by
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? just received the deluxe reissue treatment, which makes it a great time to “look back” at one of the standout songs on this seminal 90s album: “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” This Noel-led number follows the foolproof approach of a
Piebald undoubtedly hit their peak of creativity and populararity with 2002’s We Are the Only Friends We Have. While at its root, the band was writing pop-punk songs, they were able to elevate their craft by adding clever and humorous lyrics overtop of odd
Joyce Manor is currently riding high on their fantastic new record, Never Hungover Again, released in July on Epitaph Records. The band has always had a knack for strong songwriting, shown clearly on their debut self-titled LP and somewhat less clearly on their quasi-experimental
“Possum Kingdom” by the Toadies is the best radio rock song of the 90s. In my mind, it beats out “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Jeremy,” “When I Come Around,” and every other song from that era. Even with that, from a radio perspective, it’s
The Lemonheads were one of the bands in the 90s that seems like should have been much bigger than they were. Even though Evan Dando had it all from a rock frontman perspective, drug use and the 90s slacker ideal seemed to derail the
Bob Mould is a godfather of modern pop-punk songwriting. From his legendary band, Husker Du, to his solo work, to his short-lived 90s band, Sugar, his skill and influence are without question. He just released an awesome new record called Beauty & Ruin and
Every great song has some special musical ingredient that takes what could otherwise be a run-of-the-mill to something that really sticks out and helps makes the song great. In this post we’ll cover how the flat 2 chord can be used to give a
Green Day often takes heat for their “simple songs.” However, despite this perceived simplicity, Billie Joe and co. have a few tricks up their sleeves. In this post we’ll look at Green Day’s secret weapon – the flat 7 chord – and see how
What makes “Cut Your Hair” so great? We’ll take a look at how an atypical unbalanced chord structure and playful thematic lyrics work together to make this song a true 90’s “slacker” classic.
